A Living Dream
by Jessy-Anne
Summary: "One day your life will flash before your eyes.  Make sure it's worth watching." Will Bella realize that she isn't living before her life passes before her eyes, or will she merely exist? A story of a woman learning there is more to life than it seems.


**Ficawesome Gift Exchange- 3some**

**Title:** A Living Dream****

**Written for: evilnat fanfic**

**Written By: Jessy-Anne**

**Rating: t**

**Summary/Prompt used: _"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching."_**

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>http:  www. fanfiction. net / community / FAGE_3some / 93625 /**

**xxALDxx**

I never thought that my life was boring but I also knew there was more out there. On my twenty-first birthday I stayed home, while most people would be out drinking themselves into oblivion, I was sitting there singing to my heart's content. Alice, my best friend from work, called me three days before my birthday to ask me to go out with her and a few of her friends, but I didn't think twice about declining and made some excuse why I wouldn't be able to make it. That was the very first time she warned me that life was short and I should enjoy it more- I didn't listen.

I thought that I was so content in my life. Why should I go out and act crazy, especially when that isn't who I am? Five months later, I realized that I wasn't living, but merely existing.

**xxALDxx**

"Bella, honey, I love you to death, but you have to stop staying at home on your days off. You are twenty-one acting like you're seventy-five. It just isn't healthy for you to be so closed up. I know I tell you this all the time, B, but it truly is because I care." Ali said while we were on break one night.

"Someone once said 'One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it's worth watching.'. Don't you want a life that you would _want_ to watch?" she finished.

"Of course I do, Alice, but I'm happy with my life. I sing, I read, and I write sometimes, I do what I love. If I wanted to drink, I know that you and Rose would go with me. I also know that we would have a great time, I just don't think _'drinking'_ is my thing." I tried to explain to her what it was that I didn't think fit for me.

"Seriously? Is that all you think we do? Bella, you know we do a lot more than go out and drink and act like idiots. We go to dinner, we go dancing, hell on occasion we just go out and do something new like pottery spinning or take a class on how to make some dessert that we will never make again. It kind of hurts that you think that little of me to think that all I do is drink." her eyes seemed watery and I knew that I had really messed up by the time she finished her speech.

"I'm sorry, really I am. I didn't mean that was all you did. Honestly, I think very highly of you, Ali." I would have said and did anything possible to get the hurt look off of her face.

"Great." She smiled seemingly glad that I changed the tune I was singing. "So you'll come out with us one of these times then, right?"

I should have known then that she'd had it all planned out, the sly nymph she was. I just nodded and walked back out onto the sales floor to finish my shift, all the while I thought about what I had just agreed to.

**xxALDxx**

Why had I agreed to this? I didn't dance well at all, how had I let her convince me that it would be a good idea? The club looked completely packed. I was sure the fire hazard limits were being pushed to capacity and beyond, but I had promised Alice and Rose that I wouldn't back out on them. Again.

The last three times we had planned to go out were in vain, I had called it off the first time, Sulpicia's Castle, thinking she'd forget that I was supposed to be there or that we were to reschedule- complete bust. Isle Esme was her second attempt to get me to go out with them; I had made up an excuse about my other friend, Angela, being sick and needing someone to look over her. The third and final time that I got away with not going was at Emmett's Bar and Grill; I walked in as if I was going to stay then faked getting sick. Yes, I knew that I would seem like a real bitch, but it just wasn't my scene. I wish that I had stuck to it then though because I found myself in a trashy club with two people not letting any excuse get to them.

We walked to the far side where they had a small area set aside for people to sit after they got tired on the dance floor. The tables were crammed together and pretty much all of them were sticky and utterly disgusting, the fact that just sitting at that table would be grounds for a tetanus shot didn't deter Rose or Alice in the least. While we were sitting waiting for a waiter to bring the drinks we ordered, they gave me the guilt trip for ditching them the last three times and I stopped looking for ways to escape because I actually did feel bad.

I don't know how we did it or what magic carpet we took to get to the dance floor, but after three or four drinks, it really didn't matter too much. The music was loud and felt like it moved you, regardless if you wanted to or not, the beat thumped like the rhythm of my heart. Never before had I felt that alive, that aware of everything around me, and that _happy_.

Rose, Alice and I danced for a few songs together before a group of hot men, who looked like they might be models for Calvin Kline, decided we looked a little lonely. Dancing with them was unlike something I had ever done before, and I liked it more than I care to admit. Four more songs and we started to make our way back to our table to get a few more drinks, who knew that dancing could take so much out of a girl. I couldn't believe that I hadn't been out to do the club thing before; it seemed like a bad decision with the fun I was having.

The drinks poured freely as we talked with the guys, who we learned were named Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Liam. They were really nice and actually down to earth despite their attractiveness. I had never met a man burlier than Emmett, chiller than Jasper, more observant than Liam, or as in tune with our thoughts than Edward. Edward is the one who really caught my eye, he was the best looking in my opinion- tall with a coppery bronze hair that did whatever it wanted while still enticing me to run my fingers through it and a face that could only have been created by the most talented artists of the century. I could tell that Rose had her eyes on the big one, the same as I could tell Ali wanted Jasper. I didn't need to read their minds to see that they wanted to leave with the handsome men. The night was hardly over though; there was plenty more dancing and drinking that needed to be done, not that I would be drinking anymore. I was being honest when I said drinking wasn't my thing, well that and if I had the chance to be with Edward I would certainly have wanted to remember every second of that.

Two hours and a new friend, Sio, later we were on our way to a diner so we could soak up some of the alcohol with pancakes and eggs- it works I would swear to it. I would have never guessed that these boys ate as much as they did; it was kind of like watching one of those competitive eating competitions except there wasn't a prize in sight. Where could they possibly put it all? I guess that it doesn't really matter all that much as long as they didn't get sick on us. What was really interesting, however, was how easy it was to be around everyone. I had never thought that I would have been able to sit around with a bunch of strangers and talk about everything from the weather to what we saw for ourselves in the future. I started to see that I hadn't been living the life I wanted, I merely existed and I knew then I didn't want that life anymore.

We had all exchanged numbers and made plans to hang out sometime when there wasn't alcohol around. As much as the girls wanted to be going home with their respective guys, the guys were nothing but respectful gentlemen. Rose was completely blown away by how Emmett held her hand and kissed her cheek, but wouldn't kiss her the way she wanted. Edward had an arm around me and walked with me until we reached the cab Rose, Ali, and I would share and then gave me the most tender and breathtaking kiss, I could have ever dreamed I would receive. The books I had read had nothing on the kiss, hell I don't think anything could ever touch how amazing that kiss was. I stumbled toward the middle of the cab while Rose and Alice giggled at the dazed look I had on my face.

**xxALDxx**

In the weeks after meeting our very own Prince Charmings, we got to know the guys and I got closer to the girls too. I could finally say that I would want to watch the life I'd been living; just the one night had changed my entire outlook on how my life should be. No longer did I need to read the stories that had filled my days, not now that my life was better than I ever could have read about.

I met Edward for breakfast about a month after we first met and spent the first hour just talking about anything that came to mind. After breakfast we decided we would just go for a walk through the park, I loved the fall colors and the gentle coolness that would caress your face as you walked and wanted to share that feeling with Edward. Edward had something he wanted to share with me too.

"Bella, can I ask you something? I guess that's a stupid question, but I mean I don't know how else to approach this." His eyes showed worry and maybe what may be described as defeat, it worried me more than I wanted to admit.

"What's wrong, Edward? You know that you can talk to me about anything; you don't have to be afraid of talking to me. I'm here for you, always. Remember that." I tried to make him see that no matter what he had to say it didn't change anything, nothing at all.

"I have to move and I don't want to lose whatever it is that we have. I don't want to move, but I can't be so far from my mother right now. Her health has been getting worse and I would hate myself if I weren't there when she needed me. She doesn't have anyone else and I don't want her to be alone." His voice broke on the last word, but he continued. "I know we haven't known each other very long, I know that it shouldn't be possible, I know all of that, but it doesn't change how I feel about you. I can't stand the thought of losing you. Thinking of you with another man simply breaks my heart. I know I can't expect you to sit here and wait for me, it isn't realistic to think that I would be worth it."

"What the hell are you talking about Edward? Do you know how I feel about you? Do you even have the foggiest of ideas?" I asked interrupting his ramblings, "Well let me tell you, I love you. I have known that I loved you from the first week. You may not believe it but the first time you kissed me, I knew then and there that you would change my life irreversibly, and I couldn't be happier. I have held off on telling you how I felt because I knew that you wanted to go slow."

"Really? You didn't have to hold that back. I know that I may have said I wanted to take it slow, but that isn't something that you hold back. I don't know how we got everything so backwards. And I don't know how this changes anything, but I know that if you love me nearly as much as I love you maybe we can make this work." Edward's face morphed from turmoil to hope as he finished his thought. Seeing the optimism in his eyes at the prospect of us working out made me realize that I would move across many countries just to see that look on his face all the time.

"Where are you moving to, Edward? And when? Did you wait until the last second to tell me or do we have a little time?" I was full of questions and I didn't think that it would have been a good idea to wait.

"I'll be moving to this small town across the country. I'm sure you've never heard of it, it's called Bellwood. I don't leave for another month. I told you as soon as I found out she was sick again. I wish I could move back sooner because like I said I really won't be able to handle it if something happens and I'm not with my mother." There was something vulnerable in his face as he explained everything.

"I'll come with you. That is if you don't mind me tagging along. You won't be alone then and it will make more sense to have someone that can be there for you like you are there for her. I love you, Edward. I would do anything to see you happy and I know that you need to do this. So what do you say? Are we going to be moving to this Bellwood place together or am I going to end up following after you?" I said this with a confidence that was nowhere close to how I really felt.

"Yes. Please, I mean. I didn't think about that solution, but I am so glad that one of us was using our heads. You really have no clue how much this means to me, Bella. I don't know what I would have done if I would have had to say goodbye to you, knowing that such a beautiful and intelligent woman wouldn't stay single long. I wasn't lying when I said that it would have broken my heart to hear you were with someone else. And you're going to meet my mom, the only person I have to call family. I don't know how I got this lucky. Thank you for being so understanding, sweetheart." As he finished he kissed the top of my head. Not for the first time with Edward, I felt like I was home. In his arms, I could gladly live forever.

**xxALDxx**

Bellwood was nothing like I had imagined from the description Edward had given me. It reminded me so much of home- trees, mountains, small mom and pop shops, and the weather was eerily similar. We moved into an apartment a block from Edward's mother. She lived in a beautiful house that looked as if it was stuck in the Victorian age. I hadn't known what to think of the revelation that we were living in a cramped one-bedroom apartment when his mother had this beautiful home. I mean, it didn't really matter where I lived as long as I was with Edward, but it might have been nice to have a little space. Our apartment was made up of a small living room, a tiny bedroom- barely big enough to fit a queen size bed and a dresser, and a kitchen that might have been described as quaint if the ceilings didn't steeple and cause you to hit your head when you walked around. It was nice though, honestly. We weren't paying too much in rent and we spent most of our time at work or at Elizabeth's house, so I dealt with it a lot easier than I would have otherwise.

Elizabeth was a wonderful woman. I had never met a woman who had as much charisma and strength in her as Liz had in her tiny frail finger. I found that it was pride that kept us in our apartment and not because she didn't want us there. There were many occasions where it was just her and I talking about life and how short it truly is. I found that the strength this amazing woman held was contagious. I learned to hold my ground better at work, letting them walk on me wouldn't do anyone any favors- least of all myself- through her guidance. It didn't take me long to realize that this was one of the best decisions I had ever made. While I missed Rose, Alice, Emmy-bear, and Jasper the friendly ghost- I was coming into myself, which was going to be important if anything happened to Lizzy.

**xxALDxx**

It's been many years since my mother-in-law passed away, we live in her house in Bellwood now. Emmett, Rosalie, and their kids- Alexis, Carmelo, and Damien- live right down the road right across the street from Alice, Jasper, and baby Elijah. The crew moved here shortly after we got married and had our first child, Faith, at that time it was just Em, Rose, Jasper, and Alice though. We had the twins, Bailey and Hart, a few years later. Faith, Bailey, and Hart got to meet their grandma Liz before she passed and it was a blessing to have everyone here when it happened. The doctors had told us that they didn't think she would live until she was sixty-five, yet she lived to be seventy-three. It hit all of us hard when she passed, but we knew that it was her time. The love and happiness can only help so much and when God wants you- there isn't anything else you can do.

Before I started my journey with Edward, I was convinced that I could find contentment in staying home and never going out; I've realized that I was right in a sense. You don't need crazy nights of drinking or spending an endless supply of money, but you need to keep things interesting. I've had my nights of drinking, I've done things that never in a million years would I think little ole' Isabella could do, and I made a decision others would think was stupid, in the name of love. These things don't define who I am, nor do I regret having done any of them because even now at almost forty years old I have a life that I could watch over and over and never get tired of it. I have the love of my life, my best friends- more like brothers and sisters, my niece and nephews, and my angels. There is nothing I could ask for that I don't have already. The passion Edward and I had all those years ago is still there, nothing has waned only grown and blossomed into the most beautiful story ever to be read.

I won't say that there haven't been trials. That everything is always peachy and we never argue because there definitely have been arguments and nothing is always peachy, but it's real. We have a real and everlasting love and that is what really matters. Fairy tales don't compare to the wonders of an incredible adventure like ours.


End file.
